Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Felonious Bunk

By Libby

How unsurprising to hear Cheney possesses damning records relative to illegal domestic surveillance programs and is refusing to turn them over. One expects that just about any evidence of gross malfeasance that is "missing" could be found in our Veep's personal man-sized repository for "state secrets." Hell, if you dig deep enough, you would probably find the remains of Jimmy Hoffa in there.

Meanwhile, Leahy is threatening to issue contempt charges -- well as soon as he gets back from vacation and after he waits a while to see if that threat will intimidate the Veep into revealing his secrets. One can envision the contemptuous sneer playing across Cheney's face after having read that news. Maybe he can't just outright forbid the issuance of subpoenas, as he did when Arlen Specter was in charge of the joint but he still steadfastly maintains he's a fourth branch of government and answerable to no one.

As GTL points out, the Veep's conduct is indeed felonious but unless Leahy really sends in the sargent-at-arms to make an Congressional arrest, and incarcerates our big Dick in the bowels of Capitol Hill, which I don't really see happening, Cheney can feel pretty secure in getting away with any horrendous display of criminality for next 517 days.

It's a shame though that we don't have any legislators with the courage to really take that drastic an action. I have a feeling it would increase the approval rating of the Congress astronomically. I know it would increase mine.